Gal mesedi
{{short description|Hittite Kingdom}}
The gal mesedi was a Hittite military and administrative title literally meaning "chief of the royal bodyguards".Beal p.327 He was in charge of the Mesedi, the personal bodyguard of the Hittite king.Burney p.234-235 It is considered to be one of the most important and prestigious posts of the Hittite Kingdom.Bryce p.21
History
The gal mesedi was a commander responsible for the safety of the king himself. On most cases he was a member of the royal family and sometimes the brother of the king, whom he sometimes succeeded as in the case of Hattusili III, who before becoming a king was the gal mesedi of his brother, King Muwatalli II.Bryce p.22 A gal mesedi could also at times command independent military units that weren't under the king's jurisdiction.
See also
Sources
;Notes
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;References
- {{cite book|last=Bryce|first=Trevor|title=Life and society in the Hittite world|url=https://archive.org/details/lifesocietyinhit00trev|url-access=registration|accessdate=8 April 2011|date=2004-12-17|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-927588-5}}
- {{cite book|last=Beal|first=Richard Henry|title=The organisation of the Hittite military|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=alMsAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=8 April 2011|year=1992|publisher=C. Winter|isbn=978-3-533-04562-5}}
- {{cite book|last=Burney|first=Charles|title=Historical Dictionary of the Hittites|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=azPl5Jzv930C|accessdate=15 December 2014|date=19 April 2004|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=0810865645}}
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